Italians regard Bologna as one of the best gastronomic cities on the peninsula. It helps that Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, a region known for its exceptional agricultural products and artisanal ingredients, but both the city and the region could be considered the Italian capitals of fresh, hand-rolled pasta, especially filled and stuffed ones.
This is the homeland of tortelli (and all of its relatives) and various ravioli-type shapes with different local names; but the ways these pastas are served go well beyond the world-famous bolognese “sauce.” In order to eat like a local in Bologna, be ready and excited to indulge in the deliciously rich food – after all, the city’s nickname isn’t “la grassa” (fondly, “the fat one”) for nothing.
Use this Bologna food guide to discover the best pasta and more traditional dishes:
(Tagliatelle al) Ragù Bolognese: Osteria Bottega
There are many versions of ragù across Italy, but ragù bolognese is certainly one of the most famous. In fact, even among the local bolognesi, decades – or sometimes centuries-long debates exist about what constitutes the truly authentic ragù that bears the city’s name.
Typically ragù bolognese is a mixture of pork and beef (but some would say only one), and even though we non-Italians might have an idea of it as “red sauce,” tomato is in fact a controversial ingredient in the whole debate; some will add a touch of tomato concentrato (paste), but many chefs and locals argue that, since tomatoes didn’t make their way into Italy and its cuisine until after the fifteenth century, the ragù should go without it entirely.
In any case, the most important factor universally agreed upon is the long, slow cooking time. Typically served with tagliatelle – the reigning queen of long, fresh egg pastas in Emilia-Romagna – if not pappardelle, the ragù bolognese at Osteria Bottega is a classic rendition. Once you try it, you’ll understand the beauty of its simplicity and simultaneous depth.
Tortelli/Tortelloni al Burro e Salvia: Osteria al 15
Outside of Italy, you might be accustomed to saying only tortellini when referring to ring-shaped filled pasta – but in Bologna, there is a whole family of this shape with many different sizes and names. Tortelli are in the middle of the family tree, about the size of a typical square of ravioli, while tortelloni are slightly bigger (almost like a dumpling). In Bologna, both of these sizes are almost always filled with ricotta and sometimes vegetables too, such as spinach or winter squash.
The best way to order either form is al burro e salvia, or butter and sage, which allows you to appreciate the texture and freshness of the pasta itself, which is so delicate it almost melts in your mouth. Osteria al 15 is a perfectly understated place to try something as classic tortelloni al burro e salvia, as well as plenty of other traditional bolognese classics.
LISTEN: To our podcast on Dishes to try in Bologna and the Emilia region.
Tortellini in Brodo: Tamburini
An ideal Bologna day is a chilly, slightly gloomy-gray one – all the better for warming up with tortellini in brodo, tortellini cooked in broth (and, really, the better to eat and crave and eat again all of the best pasta in Bologna). Tortellini are, of course, the itty-bitty cousins of tortelli and the larger tortelloni; they should be only slightly bigger than a ring on your finger. (The idea is that with each spoonful of brodo you take, you’ll have several tortellini in each bite.)
Unlike the usually vegetarian tortelli and tortelloni, tortellini are typically filled with both cheese and pork. They are the perfect pick-me-up when they’re in a steaming bowl of brodo, or indeed a cup – just as with most pasta in Bologna, it’s easy to find tortellini in brodo as street food when you need a comforting bite while exploring the city streets.
Head to Tamburini in the heart of the historic center for the perfect cup – the city’s legendary gastronomia (deli) is full of pasta and meats to take home, but you’ll see the pasta dasporto (cooked to-go and to order) counter in the back, ready for instant gratification.
Mortadella: Enoteca Faccioli
Prosciutto might have more name recognition outside of Italy, but its real hometown is the neighboring city of Parma – in the brick-red Bologna, mortadella is the local favorite when it comes to sliced meat. Mortadella is arguably more delicate than prosciutto when it’s done right, with a light, melt-in-your-mouth quality and a mild flavor, and is usually studded with finely sliced pistachios.
You can certainly enjoy mortadella in a panino, but if you want to eat like a local bolognese even more, snack on it straight-up at Enoteca Faccioli, a friendly wine bar in a quiet part of Bologna’s center. The thin slices of meat pair it perfectly with a glass of Lambrusco – the region’s predominant sparkling red wine – or any of the local fizz; frizzanti tend to be the norm in Bologna and the larger region, and all tend to be excellent.
READ: Our guide to the Best places to stay in Bologna.
Balanzoni: Trattoria Gianni
You can continue your mortadella journey with balanzaoni, which are yet another relative of tortelli but more of a distant cousin, if you will. These plump green pockets of pasta (made from a fresh spinach dough) are filled with mostly only mortadella – sometimes a little cheese and egg are added to the filling to hold it together, but it’s really all about the pork.
Balanzoni are usually dressed simply with butter and sage, so as to keep the pure, salty mortadella at front and center in a way that is slightly reminiscent of other pork dumplings. Try them (and other rotating specials) at Trattoria Gianni, a lovely trattoria tucked away in a quiet side street of the center and run by a married couple, who keep the focus on classics but present them elegantly.
Passatelli: Ristorante Diana
Another classic local pasta is passatelli, but they’re quite distinct from both the filled and long pasta shapes we’re already familiar with. Passatelli are short, irregularly squiggly noodles, made from an egg dough that is held together with breadcrumbs, an old practice that reflects the more “peasant cuisine” origins of passatelli. They’re often served in brodo like tortellini, but the heartiness of pasatelli is so satisfying that they’re worth seeking out in other preparations.
At Ristorante Diana, one of Bologna’s more historic restaurants, passatelli are served “asciutti” (dry) with various vegetables (depending on the season) and sometimes guanciale. Thanks to the texture of the pastsa itself, this way is just as comforting as a bowl of soup!
Zabaglione con Salumaccio: Ristorante Donatello
Zabaglione (or zabaione) is like the glamorous, vintage-dress-wearing, silent-film star of the Italian dessert world. Often misunderstood and underappreciated in this day and age, but luxuriously decadent and evocative of old-school restaurants decorated in the Belle Epoque style, zabaglione is fortunately still alive and well as a perennial starlet of Emiliana-Romagnese cuisine.
The dessert sauce is made with only three ingredients – dessert wine (usually Marsala), egg yolks, and sugar – and is cooked over a gentle flame as it is whipped vigorously into a frothy, ethereally light sauce that is magically voluminous yet airy at the same time. It’s deliciously boozy and fun and, if you’re lucky, is sometimes made tableside for a real show.
Some like to serve it with fresh berries or to drizzle on cake, but at restaurants in Bologna zabaglione is more often topped with salumaccio or salame dolce – chocolate fudgy biscuits that are named for their amusing resemblance to salame and are perfect for dipping in the boozy pool of sauce. A classic beauty such as this deserves the setting to match it – get a little semi-ritzy and make a night for it at Ristorante Donatello, whose rooms look the same as they probably did when it was founded in 1903.
Tortelli Dolci Fritti: Pasticceria Regina di Quadri
As if there couldn’t be any more variations on tortelli…you can also have them fried! These tortelli exist in both savory and sweet forms – the savory fritti are a typical antipasto – but the tortelli dolci are special because they are made especially for Carnevale in the winter months. Their dough is made with a touch of orange juice and sweet liqueur, stuffed with a filling of lemon-zested pastry cream.
If you’re in Bologna between January and March, try these special tortelli at Pasticcieria Regina di Quadri (and don’t miss Santo Stefano, one of Bologna’s best churches, nearby).
DISCOVER: What to do in Bologna with our 3-Day Itinerary Ideas.
Lydia O’Brien is cookbook editor, writer, and recipe tester based in Italy. She has lived in Rome, Florence, and Siena and spent a summer cooking at an agriturismo in Tuscany, after leaving the full-time publishing world in New York. Originally from Washington, D.C., she has a degree in English literature and spent a university semester in Rome studying food and art history.
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